PBC News:Williams Street turns to Sesame Street

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This article is part of PBC News, your source for up-to-the-minute anime.

30 September 2008 

In one crazy week Sesame Workshop CEO Gary Knell and Williams Street chairman Keith Crofford renamed Boomerang as Turner Kids. Along the way they may also have to air reruns of The Electric Company, Square One Television, Cro, Big Bag, and Ghostwriter. A week of historic children television shows signs of triggering a educational version of Hanna Barbara- unleashing a new era of comedy and education that could hurt anime companies for months.

“A potential rebellion,” predicts Taylor Media CEO Josh Taylor. “If the reactions we’re seeing hold, we could have real spasmodic protests directed at anime companies and conventions.” And the programming will have consequences, says founder and onetime Turner Broadcasting's CEO Ted Turner: “Unfortunately, Williams Street have seized on the education of comedy,” he told Wheel, “and they are stoking themselves this election month like I’ve never seen in my lifetime.”

Compared to this, The Crayon Channel is currently a subscription-premium network. For all the anime fandom protest over CN's schedule changes seven weeks ago, the result in viewership was limited to an FCC rule that most viewers have never heard of (though many in the television community still consider Hanna-Babara a destructive network).

By contrast, the shut down of Cartoon Network, followed by Taylor’s escalating series of anime programming, promising to reshape registration battles over everything from Toonami and CN's content policies to FCC regulations. CEO leaders like Williams Street’s Mike Lazzo suddenly sound as if they’re in the mainstream of comedy with educational content.